Writing Task 2 – Session 8 – The Organization of the Body Paragraphs | Advantages-Disadvantages Essays

The Body structure of Advantages-Disadvantages essays

There are 2 questions related to advantages and disadvantages.

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the trend?
2. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

These questions are NOT the same. They are completely different with distinctive approaches.

With the first question, you must provide at least one advantage and one disadvantage of the situation. With the second question, you must state your opinion whether or not the advantages outweigh the disadvantages (a yes/no question) and explain your opinion.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this trend?

While it is not limited to how many advantages and disadvantages you can discuss in an essay, keep in mind that you only need to write a little more than 250 words. More words do not guarantee you a higher score. If you want to have more than one idea for each, keep the advantages together and the disadvantages together. 

Example

In many countries, people are retiring early. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this trend?

Outline

Body 1: Advantage

Main idea: Younger generations can now acquire more job opportunities, especially the high-paid and well-regarded positions that used to be occupied by older people.

Supporting ideas (example-based approach): The average age of politicians is now lower than ever before because lawmakers are stepping down earlier than they used to. This movement facilitates younger and more progressive candidates, such as the youngest Congresswoman in U.S. history Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, with opportunities to attain deciding positions that will benefit the countries more.

Body 2: Disadvantage

Main body: The lack of expertise in the workforce.

Supporting ideas (explanation-based approach): If experts retire early before they have trained the next generations of workers, their positions might be left unfulfilled as no one possesses the expertise to do the work. –> The deterioration of the company in general.

Example: Companies often try to keep senior accountants in their jobs for as long as possible.

Sample

In many countries, it is a fact that workers are choosing to retire early. In this essay, I will discuss the most visible benefit and the most detrimental drawback of this trend.

On the one hand, younger generations now have access to more work options, particularly high-paying and well-regarded occupations previously held by geriatrics. For example, the average age of politicians is currently lower than it has ever been since lawmakers are retiring earlier than they used to. This movement provides an opportunity for younger and more progressive candidates, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest Congresswoman in U.S. history, to gain determining positions that will benefit the countries more.

On the other hand, when people with extensive work knowledge choose to retire early, the workforce suffers from a shortage of competence. As a matter of fact, if specialists leave before they have trained the next generations of workers, their positions may go unfulfilled as no one has the necessary experience to do the job, thus leading to the decline of businesses in general. It is unquestionable that companies often try to keep senior accountants, for example, in their jobs for as long as possible despite the fact that a large number of young accountants graduate each year. With those experienced employees retiring early, businesses will find themselves in a situation in which there are workers, but no one is qualified enough to handle the jobs.

In conclusion, the fact that people are taking their early retirement is advantageous as more jobs are now accessible for younger generations to obtain. Nonetheless, this trend also has a negative impact on businesses due to the lack of expertise to fill the vacancies left by the experts.

281 words.

Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

There are two approaches to this question. (Keep in mind that there are different ways to look at this type of essay but this series aims to show you the easiest and most practical approach.)

• YY – Yes, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
• YN – No, the advantages do not outweigh the disadvantages.

Both approaches are clear. Whether your approach is YY or YN, your essay should include:

• Body 1: One advantage
• Body 2: One disadvantage that is related to the advantage above and either dismiss it (YY) or confirm it (NN).

To do this, I advise you to follow the steps below.

Step 1: List down all the advantages and related disadvantages that you can think of and put them in a comparison table, such as the one below.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Advantage 1 Advantage 2 Advantage 3 …	Disadvantage 1 Disadvantage 2 Disadvantage 3 …

Step 2: Pick the strongest advantage and its related disadvantage.

Step 3: Decide whether you think the disadvantage should be dismissed or confirmed.

Example

In many countries, people are retiring early. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

Ideas comparison table:

Advantages	Disadvantages
More jobs for younger people Better for health Financial freedom	Young people do not have the experience to the job No money in case of health emergencies People who do not save enough will become a burden to family

Outline

In this example, I will choose ‘advantage and disadvantage 1’ because I have more ideas about this. I will provide 2 plans with the same ideas for you to make the comparison for better understanding.

Core idea: YY

Core idea: NN

Approach: YY Body 1: Advantage Main idea: Younger generations can now acquire more job opportunities, especially the high-paid and well-regarded positions that used to be occupied by older people. Supporting ideas (example-based approach): The average age of politicians is now lower than ever before because lawmakers are stepping down earlier than they used to. This movement facilitates younger and more progressive candidates, such as the youngest Congresswoman in U.S. history Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, with opportunities to attain deciding positions that will benefit the countries more. Body 2: Disadvantage and dismissing Main idea: Although people argue that the replacements of experts who retire early are inexperienced to do the jobs, the new generations are equipped with modern technologies that allow them to acquire the needed knowledge as soon as they claim the position. –> The impact is insignificant. Supporting ideas (example-based approach): New-generation accountants are more accustomed to new accounting software and applications –> automated to make the job easier and less time-consuming.

Approach: YN Body 1: Advantage Main idea: Younger generations can now acquire more job opportunities, especially the high-paid and well-regarded positions that used to be occupied by older people. Supporting ideas (example-based approach): The average age of politicians is now lower than ever before because lawmakers are stepping down earlier than they used to. This movement facilitates younger and more progressive candidates, such as the youngest Congresswoman in U.S. history Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, with opportunities to attain deciding positions that will benefit the countries more. Body 2: Disadvantage and confirmation Main idea: However, it is common knowledge that the replacements of experts who retire early are inexperienced to do the jobs, which can significantly damage the overall performance of the employers. Supporting ideas (explanation-based approach): Most young employees do not possess the needed skills, which require massive effort to acquire. –> A big gap in actual improvement and expectation. Example: To be proficient in accounting, it usually takes at least a decade.

Samples

Sample 1

In many countries, it is a fact that workers are choosing to retire early. From my perspective, the benefits of this trend surpass the drawbacks. 

To begin, younger generations now have access to more work options, particularly high-paying and well-regarded occupations previously held by geriatrics. For example, the average age of politicians is currently lower than it has ever been since lawmakers are retiring earlier than they used to. This movement provides an opportunity for younger and more progressive candidates, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest Congresswoman in U.S. history, to gain determining positions that will benefit the countries more.

Furthermore, although some believe that the replacements for professionals who retire early lack the necessary expertise, new generations are equipped with current technology that allows them to acquire the necessary information as soon as they claim the post. As a result, the negative effect of this tendency is minor. For example, new-generation accountants are more familiar to automated accounting software and programs, so not only is the job easier and less time-consuming than before, but young people can also become acclimated to the job swiftly.

In conclusion, it is evident that employees in many countries are opting for early retirement. In my opinion, the advantages of this tendency are more noticeable than the disadvantages because younger generations of workers can obtain jobs that were formerly dominated by older generations. Additionally, even though there is a shortage of expertise at first, the gap will be soon closed thanks to young people’s proficiency in technology.

251 words.

Sample 2

In many countries, it is a fact that workers are choosing to retire early. From my perspective, the benefits of this trend are insignificant compared to the drawbacks. 

To begin, it is true that younger generations now have access to more work options, particularly high-paying and well-regarded occupations previously held by geriatrics. For example, the average age of politicians is currently lower than it has ever been since lawmakers are retiring earlier than they used to. This movement provides an opportunity for younger and more progressive candidates, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest Congresswoman in U.S. history, to gain determining positions that will benefit the countries more.

Nonetheless, although young people can now obtain the jobs that were formerly dominated by older generations, they lack the practical expertise to complete the task, which can have a substantial impact on the overall profitability of the organizations. It is evident that there is a huge difference between the expected and actual improvement of this trend.  For instance, when a company recruits young accountants with little to no experience, senior employees are often requested to provide training and mentorships to their new colleagues. However, as the experts are now retiring early while the successors are unskilled, businesses will find themselves in a situation where there are workers, but no one is competent enough to handle the jobs.

In conclusion, it is clear that employees in many countries are opting for early retirement. In my opinion, the advantages of this tendency are less noticeable than the disadvantages. While younger generations of workers can obtain jobs that were formerly dominated by older generations, there is a shortage of expertise that organizations need but young people are unable to replace.

284 words.